Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey

Current Employment Statistics - CES (National)

A Profile of the Working Poor, 1996

A Profile of the Working Poor, 1996
U.S. Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
December 1997
Report 918
In 1996, 36.5 million persons, 13.7 percent of the population, lived
at or below the official poverty level. Although the Nations poor were
primarily children and adults who were not in the labor force, 1 in 5, or
7.4 million persons were classified as working poor. This level was
about the same as in 1995. The working poor are individuals who spent at
least 27 weeks in the labor force (working or looking for work), but whose
income fell below the official poverty threshold. The poverty rate—the
ratio of the working poor to all persons in the labor force for at least 27
weeks—was 5.8 percent, little changed from the 5.9 percent reported in
1995. (See table A.)
A majority of the working poor (58 percent) usually worked full time,
although full-time work substantially lowers a persons probability of
being poor. Among persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, the
poverty rate for those usually employed full time was 4.1 percent compared
with 12.4 percent for usual part-time workers. Only 5 percent of the
working poor were actively looking for a job for more than 6 months in
1996, but ended up not working at all. (See table 1.)
Table A. Poverty status of persons and primary families in the
labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1994-96
(Number in thousands)
———————————————————————————————-
Characteristic | 1994 | 1995 | 1996
———————————————————————————————-
Total persons 1/.............| 124,303 | 126,020 | 128,320
In poverty.................| 7,660 | 7,484 | 7,421
Poverty rate...............| 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.8
Unrelated individuals........| 23,622 | 24,207 | 25,539
In poverty.................| 2,322 | 2,312 | 2,423
Poverty rate...............| 9.8 | 9.5 | 9.5
Primary families 2/..........| 56,789 | 57,262 | 58,087
In poverty.................| 4,111 | 4,008 | 4,084
Poverty rate...............| 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.0
———————————————————————————————-
1 Includes persons in families, not shown separately
2 Primary families with at least one member in the labor force
for more than half of the year
This report presents data on the relationships between labor force
activity and poverty in 1996 for individual workers and their families.
The data were collected in the March 1997 supplement to the Current
Population Survey, a nationwide monthly survey of about 50,000 households
conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For a detailed description of the source of the data and an explanation of
the concepts and definitions used in this report see the Technical Note.
Demographic characteristics
Of all persons in the labor force for at least 27 weeks during 1996,
slightly more women than men were poor (3.8 and 3.6 million, respectively).
The poverty rate was much higher for working women, however, as fewer of
them were in the labor force for more than half of the year. Specifically,
the proportion of working women living in poverty during the year (6.5
percent) remained relatively unchanged from 1995, while that for men fell
by 0.4 percentage point to 5.2 percent. (See table 2.)
Although nearly three-fourths of the working poor were white workers,
black and Hispanic workers continued to experience poverty rates that were
more than twice the rates of whites. White working women and men in the
labor force for more than half of the year were about equally likely to be
poor. By contrast, black working women had a poverty rate of 14.2
percentalmost twice the rate of black working men (8.6 percent). As in
earlier years, younger workers were most vulnerable to being poor,
particularly minority teenagers. High poverty rates among younger workers
largely reflect the lower earnings and higher rates of unemployment
associated with having relatively little education and work experience.
Educational attainment
In general, the risk of living in poverty falls rapidly as individuals
attain higher educational levels. Out of all persons in the labor force for
at least half of 1996, those with less than a high school diploma had a
higher poverty rate (16.2 percent) than high school graduates (6.3
percent). Workers with an associate degree or 4-year college degree
reported the lowest poverty rates, 3.2 and 1.5 percent, respectively.
Poverty rates generally are higher for black workers than for white workers
at both higher and lower education levels. (See table 3.)
Poverty rates of white men and women were fairly similar at all
educational levels; however, among black men and women, there were marked
disparities, especially at lower education levels. The poverty rate for
black women workers with less than a high school diploma was 30.6 percent
compared to 18.1 percent for black men. Moreover, among high school
graduates, the poverty rate of black women (18.0 percent) was almost twice
that of black men (9.3 percent). Among college graduates, these
differences disappear.
Occupation
During 1996, nearly three-fourths of the working poor were employed in
one of the following three occupational groups: service; technical, sales,
and administrative support; or operators, fabricators, and laborers. (See
table B.) Persons employed in managerial and professional specialty
occupations had the lowest probability of being poor. In all occupational
groups, women are generally more likely than men to be poor, and blacks are
more likely to be below the poverty level than whites. (See table 4.)
Table B. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked
during the year: Poverty status by occupation of longest job held, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
————————————————————————————————————
Occupation | Persons | Total below | Poverty
| who worked | poverty level | rate
————————————————————————————————————
Total who worked................| 127,486 | 7,037 | 5.5
Percent.......................| 100.0 | 100.0 |
Service occupations.............| 13.4 | 29.9 | 12.3
Technical, sales, and | | |
administrative support.........| 29.4 | 23.0 | 4.3
Operators, fabricators, and | | |
laborers.......................| 14.5 | 20.6 | 7.8
Other occupations...............| 42.7 | 26.5 | 3.4
————————————————————————————————————
The poverty rate for those employed in service occupations was 12.3
percent. Female service workers had a higher poverty rate than did their
male counterparts. Household service workers (i.e., housekeepers, child-
care workers, and cooks), almost all of whom were women, had a poverty rate
of 21.8 percent. Protective service providers, such as firefighters,
policeman, and guards, two-thirds of whom were men, reported a poverty rate
of only 3.6 percent. The poverty rate among service providers other than
private household or protectivewhich includes bartenders, waiters and
waitresses, dental assistants, janitors, and hairdresserswas 13.2 percent.
Although the number of white service providers living in poverty was more
than twice that of blacks, the overall poverty rate for black service
providers was 6.6 percentage points higher than that for whites (17.7
versus 11.1 percent).
The number of women employed in technical, sales, and administrative
support occupations was nearly twice that of men. This was due largely to
the fact that women outnumbered men by over 3 to 1 in administrative
support occupations. In technical and sales occupations, the proportion of
working men and women was relatively equal. The poverty rates for women
and men employed in administrative support occupations were about the same
at 3.2 and 3.1 percent, respectively; similarly, there were no marked
disparities between the rates for working women and men in technical
occupations (2.5 versus 1.8 percent). However, the poverty rate for women
employed in sales occupations was nearly two and a half times more than
their male counterparts, largely because women tend to hold very different
types of sales jobs than men. In fact, the earnings difference between men
and women in sales is larger than it is in any other major occupational
group.
Approximately 8 percent of operators, fabricators, and laborers in the
labor force for 27 weeks or more were poor. Although the total number of
men in these occupations outnumbered women by 3 to 1, the poverty rate for
women was 3 percentage points higher (10.1 versus 7.1 percent). Similarly,
while three-fourths of the working poor in these occupations were white,
their poverty rate was 4.5 percentage points lower than that for blacks
(7.1 versus 11.6 percent).
Workers in managerial and professional specialty occupations reported
the lowest rate of poverty (1.6 percent). About 580,000 out of the 36.7
million persons employed in managerial and professional specialty
occupations had incomes below the poverty level. Of those, 302,000 were in
professional specialty occupations, such as engineers, architects,
scientists, and teachers. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers had a
particularly high poverty rate (7.9 percent) among professional workers.
Family structure
In 1996, nearly 4.1 million families lived below the poverty level
despite having at least one member in the labor market for 27 weeks or
more, little changed from the 1995 total. Of these, nearly half were
families maintained by women. The poverty rate for families—the ratio of
poor families with workers to all families with workers—was 7.0 percent in
1996, the same as that reported in 1995. (See table 6.)
The poverty rate for families with just one member in the labor force
was over seven times more than that of families with two or more members in
the workforce (14.6 versus 1.9 percent). Families maintained by women with
only one member in the labor force were nearly two times more likely to be
poor than were such families maintained by men. Married-couple families
with two or more members in the labor force had the lowest poverty rate
(1.6 percent).
The poverty rate was even higher in families with children. The
poverty rate for families with children under age 18 that were maintained
by a woman, who was the sole supporter, was 26.6 percent in 1996.
Similarly, families maintained by men had a 13.7-percent poverty rate.
Married-couple families with children had a poverty rate of only 6.0
percent, similar to the 1995 rate.
Working women who were the sole supporters of their families had the
highest poverty rate in 1996 (20.2 percent), more than twice the rate for
their male counterparts (9.4 percent). Workers in married-couple families
were the least likely to be poor; in fact, working wives reported the
lowest rate of poverty, 1.9 percent in 1996. Working husbands had a rate
of 3.9 percent. (See table 5.)
Unrelated individuals
In 1996, 25.5 million unrelated individuals were in the labor force
for more than half the year; of those, 2.4 million lived below the poverty
level. Unrelated individuals are those persons who live by themselves or
with others not related to them. Their poverty rate was 9.5 percent in
1996, the same as in 1995. (See table 7.)
Teenagers were most vulnerable to being poor; in 1996, more than half
of the teenagers living on their own or with others not related to them
lived below the poverty level. The poverty rate was higher for women than
for men (10.7 versus 8.5 percent). The number of white unrelated
individuals living in poverty far exceeded the number of blacks or
Hispanics; however, the poverty rates for the latter two groups were 12.4
and 18.0 percent, respectively, compared with only 9.1 percent for whites.
Of the 2.4 million unrelated individuals who lived below the poverty
level, 67.1 percent lived with others. These individuals reported a
poverty rate more than twice that of individuals who lived alone. Many
unrelated individuals with below poverty earnings may live with others out
of necessity. Conversely, many of those who live alone do so because they
have sufficient incomes to support themselves. However, unrelated
individuals poverty status is determined by each persons resources. The
pooling of resources and sharing of expenses may allow some individuals in
this category who are technically classified as poor to live above the
poverty level.
Labor market problems
Three primary labor market problems frequently experienced by workers
whose incomes fall below the poverty threshold are: Unemployment, low
earnings, and involuntary part-time employment. (See definitions in the
Technical Note.) Among those who participated in the labor force for more
than half the year and usually worked in full-time wage and salary
positions, 3.9 million, or 3.9 percent, lived in poverty in 1996, little
changed from the prior year. (See table 8.) This analysis is restricted
to full-time wage and salary workers.
Nearly 90 percent of the working poor that usually worked full time
experienced at least one of the major labor market problems in 1996. Low
earnings continued to be the most common problem; 7 in 10 poor workers were
subject to low earnings alone, or in combination with other labor market
problems. Nearly 40 percent of the working poor experienced unemployment,
either alone or in combination with other problems. Only 6.2 percent of
the working poor experienced all three problems—low earnings, unemployment
and involuntary part-time work.
Some 488,000 of these working poor, or 12.5 percent, did not
experience any of the three labor market problems in 1996. Their poverty
status may be associated with other factors, including short-term
employment, some weeks of voluntary part-time work, or a family structure
that increases the risk of poverty.
———————————————————-
Samantha Quan, an economist in the Division of Labor Force Statistics,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, prepared this report.
Technical Note
Source of data
The primary source of data in this report is the work experience and
income supplement (called the Annual Demographic Survey) to the March 1997
Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about
50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics to collect demographic, social, and economic information
about working-age persons. The work experience and income information
collected in the March supplement refers to activity in the entire prior
calendar year.
Because the estimates are based on a sample, they may differ from the
figures that would have been obtained from a complete census using the same
questionnaire and procedures. Sampling variability may be relatively large
in cases where the numbers are small. Thus, small estimates, or small
differences between estimates, should be interpreted with caution. For a
detailed explanation of the March supplement to the Current Population
Survey, its sampling variability, and more complete definitions than those
provided below, see Poverty in the United States: 1996, Current Population
Reports, Series P-60, No. 198 (Bureau of the Census, September, 1997).
This publication also is available on the Bureau of the Census web site
(http://www.census.gov).
Information in this report will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 606-7828; TDD phone:
(202)606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577. This material
is in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be reproduced
without permission.
For more information on the data provided in this release, write to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Labor Force Statistics, Room
4675, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, e-mail:
cpsinfo@bls.gov or telephone (202) 606-6378.
Concepts and definitions
Poverty classification. Poverty statistics presented in this report
are based on definitions developed by the Social Security Administration in
1964 and revised by Federal interagency committees in 1969 and 1981. These
definitions were originally based on the Department of Agricultures
Economy Food Plan and reflected the different consumption requirements of
families based on factors such as family size and the number of children
under 18 years of age.
The actual poverty thresholds vary in accordance with the makeup of
the family. In 1996, the average poverty threshold for a family of four
was $16,036; for a family of nine persons or more, the threshold was
$31,971; and for an unrelated individual aged 65 and over, it was $7,525.
The poverty thresholds are updated each year to reflect changes in the
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). For more
information, see Poverty in the United States: 1996, cited above.
Low earnings. The low earnings level, as first developed in 1987,
represented the average of the real value of the minimum wage between 1967
and 1987 for a 40-hour week. The base year of 1967 was chosen because that
was the first year in which minimum-wage legislation covered essentially
the same broad group of workers who are currently covered. The low
earnings level has subsequently been adjusted each year using the CPI-U so
that the measure maintains the same real value it held in 1987. In 1996,
the low earnings threshold was $230.93 per week. For a more complete
definition, see Bruce W. Klein and Philip L. Rones, "A Profile of the
Working Poor," Monthly Labor Review, October 1989, pp. 3-13.
Income. Data on income are limited to money income received in the
calendar year preceding the March survey date before personal income taxes
and payroll deductions. It does not include the value of noncash benefits
such as food stamps, medicare, medicaid, public housing, and employer-
provided fringe benefits. For a complete definition of the income concept,
see Poverty in the United States: 1996, cited above.
In the labor force. Persons in the labor force are those who worked
or looked for work sometime during the calendar year preceding the March
survey date. The number of weeks in the labor force is accumulated over
the entire year. The focus in this report is on persons in the labor force
for 27 weeks or more.
Involuntary part-time workers. These are persons who, in at least 1
week of the year, worked fewer than 35 hours because of slack work or
business conditions, or because they could not find full-time work. The
number of weeks of involuntary part-time work is accumulated over the year.
Occupation. Refers to the occupation in which a person worked the
most weeks during the calendar year.
Unemployed. Unemployed persons are those who looked for work while
not employed or those who were on layoff from a job and expecting recall.
The number of weeks unemployed is accumulated over the entire year.
Family. A family is defined as a group of two or more persons
residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. Persons
in related subfamilies—married couples, or parent-child groups sharing the
living quarters of another family member—are included as members of that
family and are not distinct family units. The count of families used in
this report does not include unrelated subfamilies, such as lodgers,
guests, or resident employees living in a household but not related to the
householder (the person in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented).
Families are classified either as married-couple families or as those
maintained by men or women without spouses present. Family status is
determined at the time of the March interview and thus may be different
from that of the previous year.
Unrelated individuals. These are persons who are not living with any
relatives. Such individuals may be living alone, reside in a non-related
family household, or live in group quarters with other unrelated
individuals.
Related children. Data on related children refer to own children
(including sons, daughters, and step or adopted children) of the husband,
wife, or person maintaining the family and all other children related to
the householder by blood, marriage, or adoption.
Race. White, black, and other are terms used to describe the race of
workers. Included in the other group are American Indians, Alaskan
Natives, and Asians and Pacific Islanders; because of their relatively
small sample size, data for this group are not separately tabulated or
published.
Hispanic origin. This term refers to persons who identify themselves
in the CPS enumeration process as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or
South American, or of some other Hispanic origin or descent. Persons of
Hispanic origin may be of any race; thus, they also are included in both
the white and black population groups.
Table 1. Persons in the labor force: Poverty status and work experience by weeks in the labor force, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| | 27 weeks or more in the labor force
___________________________________________
Poverty status and work experience | Total in the labor |
| force | |
| | Total | 50 to 52 weeks
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | |
TOTAL
Total in labor force.................................... 143,708 128,320 113,985
Did not work during the year.......................... 2,329 834 708
Worked during the year................................ 141,379 127,486 113,277
Usual full-time workers............................. 111,512 105,697 97,448
Usual part-time workers............................. 29,868 21,789 15,829
Involuntary part-time workers..................... 5,303 4,227 3,410
Voluntary part-time workers....................... 24,565 17,562 12,419
At or above poverty level
Total in labor force.................................... 133,090 120,899 108,170
Did not work during the year.......................... 1,273 450 370
Worked during the year................................ 131,818 120,449 107,801
Usual full-time workers............................. 105,922 101,363 93,928
Usual part-time workers............................. 25,895 19,086 13,873
Involuntary part-time workers..................... 3,896 3,174 2,565
Voluntary part-time workers....................... 21,999 15,912 11,308
Below poverty level
Total in labor force.................................... 10,618 7,421 5,815
Did not work during the year.......................... 1,056 384 338
Worked during the year................................ 9,562 7,037 5,476
Usual full-time workers............................. 5,589 4,334 3,520
Usual part-time workers............................. 3,972 2,703 1,956
Involuntary part-time workers..................... 1,406 1,053 846
Voluntary part-time workers....................... 2,566 1,650 1,111
Poverty rate(1)
Total in labor force.................................... 7.4 5.8 5.1
Did not work during the year.......................... 45.3 46.0 47.8
Worked during the year................................ 6.8 5.5 4.8
Usual full-time workers............................. 5.0 4.1 3.6
Usual part-time workers............................. 13.3 12.4 12.4
Involuntary part-time workers..................... 26.5 24.9 24.8
Voluntary part-time workers....................... 10.4 9.4 8.9
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Data for 1996, which were collected in the March 1997 supplement to the
Current Population Survey (CPS), are not strictly comparable with data for 1995 and earlier years because of the
introduction in January 1997 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions
in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1997" in the February 1997 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 2. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | |
| | | | | Below poverty level | Poverty rate(1)
___________________________________________________________
| | | |Hispanic| |
Age and sex | Total | White | Black| origin | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Total| White| Black|Hispanic| Total| White| Black|Hispanic
| | | | | | | | origin | | | | origin
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Total, 16 years and older... 128,320 108,431 14,225 12,433 7,421 5,432 1,647 1,788 5.8 5.0 11.6 14.4
16 to 19 years.................. 4,881 4,169 583 538 581 428 134 125 11.9 10.3 23.0 23.2
20 to 24 years.................. 11,892 9,853 1,497 1,642 1,448 1,060 334 294 12.2 10.8 22.3 17.9
25 to 34 years.................. 32,166 26,557 3,955 4,081 2,180 1,588 512 597 6.8 6.0 13.0 14.6
35 to 44 years.................. 35,954 30,153 4,179 3,295 1,865 1,335 407 494 5.2 4.4 9.7 15.0
45 to 54 years.................. 26,825 23,083 2,658 1,803 910 681 187 189 3.4 2.9 7.0 10.5
55 to 64 years.................. 12,729 11,145 1,093 894 377 296 62 77 3.0 2.7 5.7 8.6
65 years and older.............. 3,873 3,471 260 180 61 44 10 12 1.6 1.3 3.8 6.5
Men, 16 years and older..... 69,626 59,921 6,649 7,596 3,633 2,855 574 1,121 5.2 4.8 8.6 14.8
16 to 19 years.................. 2,483 2,157 266 331 243 184 53 72 9.8 8.5 20.0 21.6
20 to 24 years.................. 6,304 5,388 641 1,072 642 512 102 188 10.2 9.5 15.9 17.6
25 to 34 years.................. 17,823 14,977 1,903 2,571 1,090 879 166 386 6.1 5.9 8.7 15.0
35 to 44 years.................. 19,515 16,675 1,969 1,958 958 726 150 316 4.9 4.4 7.6 16.2
45 to 54 years.................. 14,277 12,488 1,249 1,045 453 357 68 104 3.2 2.9 5.4 9.9
55 to 64 years.................. 6,988 6,211 497 507 210 172 29 49 3.0 2.8 5.8 9.6
65 years and older.............. 2,236 2,025 124 112 38 24 7 6 1.7 1.2 5.3 5.3
Women, 16 years and older... 58,694 48,510 7,576 4,836 3,788 2,577 1,073 667 6.5 5.3 14.2 13.8
16 to 19 years.................. 2,398 2,012 317 206 338 244 81 53 14.1 12.1 25.5 25.8
20 to 24 years.................. 5,588 4,466 856 570 806 548 232 106 14.4 12.3 27.1 18.6
25 to 34 years.................. 14,344 11,580 2,052 1,510 1,090 709 347 211 7.6 6.1 16.9 14.0
35 to 44 years.................. 16,439 13,478 2,210 1,337 907 609 257 177 5.5 4.5 11.6 13.2
45 to 54 years.................. 12,548 10,595 1,410 758 456 323 120 86 3.6 3.1 8.5 11.3
55 to 64 years.................. 5,740 4,934 596 386 167 124 33 28 2.9 2.5 5.6 7.2
65 years and older.............. 1,637 1,445 136 68 23 20 3 6 1.4 1.4 2.3 (2)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.
NOTE: Detail for race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not
presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Data for 1996, which were collected in
the March 1997 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), are not strictly comparable with data for 1995 and earlier
years because of the introduction in January 1997 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional
information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1997" in the February 1997 issue of
Employment and Earnings.
Table 3. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by educational attainment, race, and sex, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | Below poverty level | Poverty rate(1)
_____________________________________________________
Educational attainment and race | Total | Men | Women | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
Total, 16 years and older..................... 128,320 69,626 58,694 7,421 3,633 3,788 5.8 5.2 6.5
Less than a high school diploma................... 16,498 10,356 6,142 2,665 1,527 1,137 16.2 14.7 18.5
Less than 1 year of high school................. 4,765 3,262 1,503 950 656 294 19.9 20.1 19.6
1-3 years of high school........................ 10,165 6,099 4,067 1,507 742 765 14.8 12.2 18.8
4 years of high school, no diploma.............. 1,568 996 573 208 129 79 13.3 13.0 13.8
High school graduates, no college................. 42,355 22,576 19,779 2,672 1,152 1,521 6.3 5.1 7.7
Some college, no degree........................... 25,936 13,528 12,408 1,254 531 723 4.8 3.9 5.8
Associate degree.................................. 10,301 4,863 5,438 332 162 170 3.2 3.3 3.1
College graduates................................. 33,229 18,303 14,927 498 262 236 1.5 1.4 1.6
White, 16 years and older..................... 108,431 59,921 48,510 5,432 2,855 2,577 5.0 4.8 5.3
Less than a high school diploma................... 13,529 8,727 4,801 2,018 1,230 788 14.9 14.1 16.4
Less than 1 year of high school................. 4,017 2,804 1,212 848 596 253 21.1 21.2 20.9
1-3 years of high school........................ 8,303 5,109 3,195 1,027 537 489 12.4 10.5 15.3
4 years of high school, no diploma.............. 1,209 814 394 143 98 46 11.9 12.0 11.6
High school graduates, no college................. 35,451 19,183 16,268 1,801 833 968 5.1 4.3 5.9
Some college, no degree........................... 21,720 11,591 10,129 941 436 505 4.3 3.8 5.0
Associate degree.................................. 8,818 4,298 4,520 273 142 131 3.1 3.3 2.9
College graduates................................. 28,913 16,121 12,792 398 213 185 1.4 1.3 1.5
Black, 16 years and older..................... 14,225 6,649 7,576 1,647 574 1,073 11.6 8.6 14.2
Less than a high school diploma................... 2,282 1,240 1,042 543 225 318 23.8 18.1 30.6
Less than 1 year of high school................. 450 298 152 62 32 30 13.8 10.8 19.8
1-3 years of high school........................ 1,528 792 737 424 168 256 27.7 21.2 34.7
4 years of high school, no diploma.............. 303 150 153 57 25 33 18.9 16.3 21.4
High school graduates, no college................. 5,436 2,643 2,793 748 246 503 13.8 9.3 18.0
Some college, no degree........................... 3,319 1,467 1,852 255 70 185 7.7 4.8 10.0
Associate degree.................................. 1,062 384 678 50 12 38 4.7 3.1 5.6
College graduates................................. 2,126 915 1,211 50 21 29 2.4 2.3 2.4
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
NOTE: Data for 1996, which were collected in the March 1997 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), are not
strictly comparable with data for 1995 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 1997 of revised population controls
used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1997" in the
February 1997 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 4. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year: Poverty status by occupation of the longest
job held, race, and sex, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | Below poverty level | Poverty rate(1)
_____________________________________________________
Occupation and race | Total | Men | Women | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | |
Total, 16 years and older(2).................. 127,486 69,177 58,308 7,037 3,440 3,597 5.5 5.0 6.2
Managerial and professional specialty............. 36,656 18,662 17,994 580 268 312 1.6 1.4 1.7
Executive, administrative, and managerial....... 18,216 10,104 8,113 278 172 106 1.5 1.7 1.3
Professional specialty.......................... 18,440 8,559 9,881 302 96 206 1.6 1.1 2.1
Technical, sales, and administrative support...... 37,543 13,565 23,978 1,616 433 1,183 4.3 3.2 4.9
Technicians and related support................. 4,176 1,943 2,233 90 35 55 2.1 1.8 2.5
Sales occupations............................... 15,502 7,745 7,757 960 276 684 6.2 3.6 8.8
Administrative support, including clerical...... 17,865 3,878 13,987 566 122 444 3.2 3.1 3.2
Service occupations............................... 17,120 7,093 10,027 2,104 601 1,503 12.3 8.5 15.0
Private household............................... 642 17 625 140 2 138 21.8 (3) 22.1
Protective service.............................. 2,238 1,830 409 80 55 25 3.6 3.0 6.2
Service, except private household and protective 14,240 5,246 8,993 1,883 544 1,340 13.2 10.4 14.9
Precision production, craft, and repair........... 14,375 13,181 1,194 797 729 68 5.5 5.5 5.7
Operators, fabricators, and laborers.............. 18,498 13,909 4,590 1,447 982 465 7.8 7.1 10.1
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors... 8,156 5,034 3,122 621 335 287 7.6 6.6 9.2
Transportation and material moving occupations.. 5,412 4,902 510 318 273 46 5.9 5.6 9.0
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers....................................... 4,931 3,973 958 507 374 133 10.3 9.4 13.8
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................... 3,180 2,664 516 484 418 66 15.2 15.7 12.7
White, 16 years and older(2)................ 107,893 59,631 48,262 5,203 2,739 2,464 4.8 4.6 5.1
Managerial and professional specialty............. 32,329 16,696 15,633 431 207 224 1.3 1.2 1.4
Executive, administrative, and managerial....... 16,280 9,210 7,071 225 142 83 1.4 1.5 1.2
Professional specialty.......................... 16,049 7,487 8,562 206 64 141 1.3 0.9 1.6
Technical, sales, and administrative support...... 31,838 11,741 20,096 1,134 339 795 3.6 2.9 4.0
Technicians and related support................. 3,523 1,683 1,840 74 35 39 2.1 2.1 2.1
Sales occupations............................... 13,509 6,971 6,538 671 228 443 5.0 3.3 6.8
Administrative support, including clerical...... 14,806 3,087 11,719 389 77 312 2.6 2.5 2.7
Service occupations............................... 13,219 5,533 7,686 1,466 438 1,029 11.1 7.9 13.4
Private household............................... 514 15 500 117 2 115 22.8 (3) 23.1
Protective service.............................. 1,756 1,494 262 45 36 9 2.6 2.4 3.4
Service, except private household and protective 10,948 4,024 6,924 1,304 400 905 11.9 9.9 13.1
Precision production, craft, and repair........... 12,682 11,722 960 676 633 43 5.3 5.4 4.5
Operators, fabricators, and laborers.............. 14,801 11,410 3,391 1,055 736 319 7.1 6.5 9.4
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors... 6,408 4,167 2,241 474 265 209 7.4 6.4 9.3
Transportation and material moving occupations.. 4,493 4,096 397 233 215 19 5.2 5.2 4.7
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers....................................... 3,900 3,147 753 348 257 91 8.9 8.2 12.1
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................... 2,935 2,448 487 430 375 55 14.6 15.3 11.2
Black, 16 years and older(2)................ 13,967 6,515 7,452 1,509 506 1,002 10.8 7.8 13.5
Managerial and professional specialty............. 2,518 957 1,561 99 26 73 3.9 2.7 4.7
Executive, administrative, and managerial....... 1,155 499 656 21 8 14 1.8 1.5 2.1
Professional specialty.......................... 1,363 459 905 78 18 60 5.7 3.9 6.6
Technical, sales, and administrative support...... 4,066 1,156 2,910 406 68 339 10.0 5.9 11.6
Technicians and related support................. 413 156 257 15 - 15 3.6 - 5.8
Sales occupations............................... 1,274 430 844 241 33 208 18.9 7.8 24.6
Administrative support, including clerical...... 2,379 570 1,810 150 34 116 6.3 6.0 6.4
Service occupations............................... 3,082 1,173 1,909 547 119 427 17.7 10.2 22.4
Private household............................... 109 2 107 18 - 18 16.6 - 16.8
Protective service.............................. 397 278 119 26 10 16 6.7 3.7 13.6
Service, except private household and protective 2,576 893 1,682 502 109 393 19.5 12.2 23.4
Precision production, craft, and repair........... 1,240 1,078 162 93 69 23 7.5 6.4 14.3
Operators, fabricators, and laborers.............. 2,901 2,008 892 336 201 135 11.6 10.0 15.1
Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors... 1,289 647 642 118 45 73 9.1 6.9 11.3
Transportation and material moving occupations.. 794 695 99 78 52 25 9.8 7.6 25.4
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers....................................... 818 667 151 140 104 37 17.2 15.5 24.5
Farming, forestry, and fishing.................... 144 126 18 28 23 4 19.2 18.5 (3)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more who worked during the year.
2 Includes a small number of persons whose last job was in the Armed Forces.
3 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.
NOTE: Data for 1996, which were collected in the March 1997 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), are not
strictly comparable with data for 1995 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 1997 of revised population controls
used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1997" in the
February 1997 issue of Employment and Earnings. Dash represents or rounds to zero.
Table 5. Persons in families and unrelated individuals: Poverty status and work experience, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | In married-couple families | In families maintained | In families maintained |
| | | by women | by men | Unre-
___________________________________________________________________________________
Poverty status and work | Total | | | | lated
experience |persons| | | | | | | | | | | indi-
| | Hus- | | Related| Other |House-| Related| Other |House-| Related| Other | viduals
| | bands | Wives|children|relativ-|holder|children|relativ-|holder|children| rela- |
| | | |under 18| es | |under 18| es | |under 18| tives |
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | |
TOTAL
All persons........... 202,515 52,925 53,552 5,152 17,229 12,771 1,901 9,567 3,820 379 3,848 41,371
With labor force activity. 143,708 42,579 35,518 2,492 12,796 9,187 803 6,495 3,104 195 2,723 27,818
1 to 26 weeks........... 15,388 1,596 3,895 1,482 2,993 952 492 1,046 169 108 376 2,279
27 weeks or more........ 128,320 40,982 31,622 1,010 9,803 8,235 311 5,449 2,934 87 2,347 25,539
With no labor force
activity............... 58,807 10,347 18,034 2,660 4,433 3,584 1,097 3,073 716 185 1,125 13,553
At or above poverty level
All persons........... 179,095 49,958 50,543 4,757 16,290 8,611 1,189 7,928 3,291 347 3,535 32,644
With labor force activity. 133,090 40,751 34,555 2,389 12,432 6,891 587 5,793 2,753 187 2,585 24,166
1 to 26 weeks........... 12,191 1,370 3,527 1,406 2,881 317 332 797 95 101 315 1,050
27 weeks or more........ 120,899 39,381 31,028 983 9,551 6,574 254 4,997 2,658 85 2,270 23,116
With no labor force
activity............... 46,005 9,207 15,988 2,368 3,858 1,720 602 2,135 538 161 950 8,478
Below poverty level
All persons........... 23,420 2,967 3,009 395 938 4,160 711 1,639 529 32 313 8,727
With labor force activity. 10,618 1,827 963 103 364 2,296 216 701 350 8 138 3,651
1 to 26 weeks........... 3,197 226 369 76 112 635 159 249 75 7 61 1,229
27 weeks or more........ 7,421 1,601 594 27 252 1,661 57 452 276 1 77 2,423
With no labor force
activity............... 12,803 1,140 2,046 292 575 1,864 495 938 179 24 175 5,076
Poverty rate(1)
All persons........... 11.6 5.6 5.6 7.7 5.4 32.6 37.4 17.1 13.8 8.4 8.1 21.1
With labor force activity. 7.4 4.3 2.7 4.1 2.8 25.0 26.9 10.8 11.3 4.1 5.1 13.1
1 to 26 weeks........... 20.8 14.2 9.5 5.1 3.7 66.7 32.4 23.8 44.0 6.3 16.2 53.9
27 weeks or more........ 5.8 3.9 1.9 2.6 2.6 20.2 18.3 8.3 9.4 1.5 3.3 9.5
With no labor force
activity............... 21.8 11.0 11.3 11.0 13.0 52.0 45.1 30.5 24.9 13.0 15.6 37.4
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Data for 1996, which were collected in the March 1997 supplement to the
Current Population Survey (CPS), are not strictly comparable with data for 1995 and earlier years because of the introduction in
January 1997 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current
Population Survey Effective January 1997" in the February 1997 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 6. Primary families: Poverty status, presence of related children, and work experience of family
members in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic At or above Below poverty Poverty
Total families poverty level level rate(1)
Total primary families.................... 58,087 54,003 4,084 7.0
With related children under 18.................... 33,753 30,226 3,527 10.4
Without children.................................. 24,333 23,777 557 2.3
With one member in the labor force................ 23,307 19,900 3,407 14.6
With two or more members in the labor force....... 34,780 34,103 677 1.9
With two members................................ 29,026 28,426 599 2.1
With three or more members...................... 5,754 5,676 78 1.4
Married-couple families:
With related children under 18.................. 25,295 23,782 1,512 6.0
Without children................................ 19,778 19,420 358 1.8
With one member in the labor force.............. 14,366 12,982 1,384 9.6
Husband....................................... 10,894 9,760 1,134 10.4
Wife.......................................... 2,763 2,569 194 7.0
Relative...................................... 709 653 56 7.9
With two or more members in the labor force..... 30,706 30,221 486 1.6
With two members.............................. 25,770 25,337 433 1.7
With three or more members.................... 4,936 4,884 53 1.1
Families maintained by women:
With related children under 18.................. 6,637 4,872 1,765 26.6
Without children................................ 3,014 2,869 145 4.8
With one member in the labor force.............. 6,879 5,128 1,751 25.5
Householder................................... 5,689 4,165 1,524 26.8
Relative...................................... 1,190 963 227 19.1
With two or more members in the labor force..... 2,772 2,612 160 5.8
Families maintained by men:
With related children under 18.................. 1,822 1,572 250 13.7
Without children................................ 1,541 1,488 53 3.5
With one member in the labor force.............. 2,062 1,790 272 13.2
Householder................................... 1,746 1,500 246 14.1
Relative...................................... 316 291 26 8.1
With two or more members in the labor force..... 1,302 1,270 32 2.5
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
NOTE: Data relate to primary families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
Data for 1996, which were collected in the March 1997 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), are
not strictly comparable with data for 1995 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 1997 of
revised population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current
Population Survey Effective January 1997" in the February 1997 issue of Employment and Earnings.
Table 7. Unrelated individuals in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin,
and living arrangement, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | |
Characteristic | Total | At or above poverty| Below poverty level| Poverty rate(1)
| | level | |
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | |
Age and sex
Total unrelated individuals...... 25,539 23,116 2,423 9.5
16 to 19 years.......................... 508 223 285 56.1
20 to 24 years.......................... 3,266 2,582 684 21.0
25 to 64 years.......................... 20,638 19,211 1,427 6.9
65 years and older...................... 1,126 1,100 26 2.3
Men..................................... 14,325 13,100 1,225 8.5
Women................................... 11,214 10,016 1,198 10.7
Race and Hispanic origin
White................................... 21,569 19,605 1,964 9.1
Men.................................. 12,113 11,130 982 8.1
Women................................ 9,457 8,475 982 10.4
Black................................... 2,981 2,611 370 12.4
Men.................................. 1,652 1,462 191 11.5
Women................................ 1,329 1,149 180 13.5
Hispanic origin......................... 2,054 1,685 369 18.0
Men.................................. 1,386 1,138 248 17.9
Women................................ 668 547 121 18.1
Living arrangement
Living alone............................ 13,530 12,734 795 5.9
Living with others...................... 12,009 10,382 1,627 13.6
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
NOTE: Detail for race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not
presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Data for 1996, which were collected in
the March 1997 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), are not strictly comparable with data for 1995 and earlier
years because of the introduction in January 1997 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional
information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1997" in the February 1997 issue of
Employment and Earnings.
Table 8. Persons in the labor force for 27 weeks or more: Poverty status and labor market problems of full-time wage and
salary workers, 1996
(Numbers in thousands)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | |
| | At or above| Below | Poverty
Poverty status and labor market problems | Total | poverty | poverty | rate(1)
| | level | level |
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | |
Total, full-time wage and salary workers........................... 100,278 96,377 3,902 3.9
No unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low earnings(2)... 78,989 78,501 488 0.6
Unemployment only....................................................... 5,845 5,404 441 7.5
Involuntary part-time employment only................................... 2,374 2,336 38 1.6
Low earnings only....................................................... 8,324 6,698 1,626 19.5
Unemployment and involuntary part-time employment....................... 1,171 1,078 93 7.9
Unemployment and low earnings........................................... 1,986 1,253 733 36.9
Involuntary part-time employment and low earnings....................... 983 742 241 24.5
Unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, and low earnings........ 606 364 242 39.9
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Number below the poverty level as a percent of the total in the labor force for 27 weeks or more.
2 The low earnings threshold in 1996 was $230.93 per week.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Data for 1996, which were collected in the March 1997 supplement to the
Current Population Survey (CPS), are not strictly comparable with data for 1995 and earlier years because of the
introduction in January 1997 of revised population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see "Revisions
in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1997" in the February 1997 issue of Employment and Earnings.